Witness Protection
by PrentissRose
Summary: When Olivia and Elliot are forced to kill one of the most dangerous human trafficking criminals of all time, their lives are put in extreme danger. With nowhere left to turn they are placed in Witness Protection together. Except Olivia hasn't fully forgiven Elliot for leaving. Will they be able to rebuild their broken friendship? Will it turn out to be more than what they thought?
1. Chapter 1: The Killing of Ricardo Lopez

**A/N: Special thanks to SVUfan4life for being my beta :) **

**This is probably going to be a long story. Please review :D **

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**Chapter One: The Killing of Ricardo Lopez**

Night of October 31

"Liv, are you sure you can handle this?," Elliot whispered to her, one last time before he proceeded in breaking down the graffitied door of the neglected warehouse. It was located in one of the crappiest areas of New York City , somewhere no one suspected a sex slave trade was being housed. Olivia didn't hesitate to answer in her own hushed whisper, slightly annoyed that Elliot had paused to ask her such a thing. Of course she was ready, why the hell would she be here if she wasn't?

"Yes," she gritted her teeth as she listened to him grunt in effort as he brought back his left leg and kicked down the door, hearing wood splinter as the door was knocked roughly off its hinges. It landed with a thud on the gray concrete interior and Olivia zoomed inside first, pointing her gun around the dangerous areas: behind the door, on their left side, and in every nook and cranny. There weren't many of them, though. It took their adrenaline clouded minds only a few seconds to realize that they were in a small, completely empty room, except for the light wooden door on the opposite end of the room with sloppy writing scribbled all over.

Olivia and Elliot crept over to it, as silently as possible , not knowing whether or not if there was still certain danger here. There was no possible way that this was not a sex slave base. They'd gotten at least three survivors that had escaped to give the exact address and describe everything that went on there. This was the place.

**_If the door's closed, we're full._**

**_If the door's open, feel free to come inside for a wild ride._**

Around that there were different handwriting styles, all giving compliments about their "services" provided tonight and how they were coming back a second or third time. Elliot scrubbed a hand down his face and was obviously extremely bothered by this. Yeah, well that's what two years off the job does to you. Olivia nudged him in the arm and shot him a look. There was no backing out of this now and if he started showing any more signs of not being able to take this, she was going to make it her personal mission to beat the shit out of him. Not minutes before, wasn't he asking her if she was okay? Hell yeah he was. Olivia was not going to let him turn this around on her and make him the uneasy one. If she was keeping a cool head, she sure as hell was expecting him to.

Although Elliot had been gone far too long, he still could tell when Olivia was getting pissed and this was one of those times. He nodded and blinked, shaking away all of that pent up anger for the people who were running this sick place. He began to silently back up again, ready to kick down another door, but Olivia grabbed his arm and shook her head hurriedly, tilting her head towards the gray wall to their left. Putting a finger to her incredibly full, sexy lips she ushered him over and pressed her ear against the thin ceramic wall.

They both heard the same sickening moans of pleasure and wails of pain. They both knew that the girl sobbing and pleading for her life in the room next to them, only separated by half an inch of cheap wall, spray painted gray, was prepubescent from her high voice. Elliot twitched and gripped his gun safely tucked in his holster, slightly afraid that he would lose control and shoot down the wall and murder whoever that sick son of a bitch next door was.

Olivia had heard enough too, slowly creeping back over to the door and with her hand that wasn't holding her gun, she slowly turned the metal knob of the door. A small light of hope ignited inside of her as she felt the satisfying feeling of the door not being locked. Elliot quickly unholstered his gun and pointed it at the door, letting out a small reassuring smile. Why the hell he was smiling in a situation like this, Olivia had no clue. Maybe it was one of his other annoying habits he'd accustomed to since his divorce. Smiling like he was some sort of fake, all-smiles physiatrist was going to become a problem if he kept it up. Liv knew that for certain.

Knowing fully well that this was not the time to press the issues of Elliot's fluctuating personality, Olivia pushed the door open and rushed in, her gun at the ready with Elliot close on her heels. That small light of hope they had both felt before when they saw that the door wasn't locked was immediately extinguished, not because there was any certain danger found there, but because of the exact opposite.

Standing in the middle of the trashy, disgusting tiny room was none other than Ricardo Lopez. It was hard not to recognize the face as he was one of the most infamous child molesters in the world. Elliot and Olivia both knew it was him with his short, cropped hair that was a little too gelled, his dark, caramel skin, and his class A suit and silk tie. It was all a dead giveaway and being the smart ass detectives that they were, they knew something was up.

A quaint, small smirk formed on his lips as Ricardo saw the utter bewilderment contorttheir faces. It took Elliot only a second for his eyes to wander over to his right and see the dirty, spotted mattress thrown lazily on the floor with a squirming little girl being pinned down by a fat, older man.

"Please help me!," the girl squealed as the man continued to rape her. Elliot pointed the gun at him and screamed at him to get off of her. Was it just him that heard the all-to-familiar ringing in his ears that he got whenever he was irritated? The man held his hands up and slowly, but surely exited the girl who remained on the mattress, weak and exposed.

"Ah, detectives, I see you've found me.," Ricardo said still smiling at both of them, his hands clasped behind his back. Dammit to hell, Liv's hands began to shake when she noted that they should have in fact waited for back up, but their egotistical minds had thought otherwise.

"Lopez, put you hands where I can see them!," Liv shouted, her voice not showing at all the way she was freaking out inside. She couldn't put her finger on it, but this time was different then the others. This time, the urge to shoot this swine was so strong, she wasn't sure how long she would be able to hold out. Olivia never considered herself coldblooded, but the mere fact that he was hunting down little girls that came from good, wealthy families from all over the world, kidnapping them, and having men pay him to rape them was enough to make anyone want to see blood spill from his body and the light leave his eyes. She would never admit this to anyone, not even Huang.

"Detective Benson, correct?," Lopez asked, sarcasm oozing from his voice. He slowly took his hands out from behind his back to reveal a shiny, black machine gun that looked brand new. Elliot and Olivia both tensed. They should've expected this and theyknew it. They screwed up and they were fucked.

"Oh, what's wrong?," Ricardo interrogated them, playing his own little mind game knowing that he was going to win. It didn't matter if he made it out of there alive or not, he was going to torture their minds so much that they would never be able to get the image of him terrorizing the small girl out of their heads.

"We aren't afraid of a little gun are we?," he asked as he gripped the gun menacingly. His arm was rigid as he pointed it in the vague area around the little girl and the sweaty man that was slowly pulling his sweats over his legs, not breaking eye contact with Ricardo while doing so. Elliot could sense that this guy hadn't signed up for the deal. Ricardo hadn't told him that he was expecting the NYPD to come knocking at his door.

There was nothing they could do. Nothing at fucking all. The last resort came into Elliot's mind before he could think of something better.

"How did you know her name?," Elliot demanded in a deep, booming voice still dosed in his usual confidence. Truth was, he was truly intrigued, but not enough to have actually asked this question in a safer situation. Elliot swore that he saw fireworks explode within Lopez's eyes as he was about to reveal the moment of truth.

"You're very good at noticing details. I guess that's why you're a Detective, Stabler.," Ricardo said, still smiling his sick, twisted smile. "But you're not good enough, Elliot, are you?," Confusion boggled Elliot's mind as he heard Ricardo's throaty laugh from across the room and he was certain every single person, even the sick pedobear, was frozen in fear. They underestimated him big time. This was no time to bombard themselves with self-loathe, they needed to both focus which was getting harder for both of them to do.

"You see, when you interviewed those three girls, they all came crawling back to me, begging, pleading for my forgiveness.," Ricardo explained calmly like he wasn't threatening the life of a six year old in front ofthem. "All three of them told me everything about you, your job, your divorce," His eyes glanced over in Elliot's direction and he smirk grew when he saw Elliot's jaw twitch in irritation. Ricardo continued to speak as the pits grew larger in Elliot and Olivia's stomachs, "your love affairs, everything. I did what I could for them, but I just had to put them out of their misery."

Stockholm syndrome flashed through Olivia's mind as she heard his story, knowing fully well that those girl's bodies were long gone by now, probably at the bottom of the Hudson being nibbled on by fish. She still also felt that pang of guilt she got whenever she heard of a victim's damage so far beyond repair that they actually trusted their abusers. It wasn't uncommon though, so her heartache grew far more often than it should have.

"Look Ricardo, we can work out a deal.," Elliot compromised with his deep blue eyes, full of trust, . "We might be able to cut you a deal if you just let them go.," he said as he ushered to the two shaking figures, although he wasn't entirely sure that he would mind Ricardo shooting that sick child diddler.

"How about, I have that nice sweet piece of ass?," Ricardo jerked his head in Olivia's direction and she blinked. Of all times why now? Sure Ricardoasked it like a question, but all five of them knew there was no discussion to it. If Ricardo Lopez wanted Olivia Benson, he would get her.

"How about you take the deal you have now befo-," Elliot began his retort, anger boiling inside his veins. That was where he drew the line. Fuck put the job before yourself, much less your partner. It was his job to watch her back and letting his rape her wasn't on his list of things to happen when he just got back on the job. He'd been gone awhile, but his instincts were just as strong. If he'd been placed with a different partner then maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have taken Ricardo's comment so god damn personally. Except before he even got a chance to finish his sentence, the woman he was protecting interrupted him.

"Let them walk out of here and you can have me.," Olivia said in a strong voice, dying inside. That was the first time they saw Ricardo Lopez falter. His smile fell, those celebratory fireworks dancing in his eyes died out, and he seemed to consider the offer. They both hoped it would take him longer to make his mind up, but it took him mere seconds.

"Miss Benson you're a very sexy woman and I would have loved to fuck the hell out of you, but," Lopez's smile returned as he continued, "I'd rather you suffer in consuming guilt for the rest of your lives.," By the time they realized what he meant it was too late. The quick, loud bursts of bullets propelling themselves out of Ricardo's gun and a scream were the only things they heard until Elliot instincts squeezed the trigger of his gun twice hitting Ricardo squarely in the chest.

Elliot didn't know how long he stood there, but his eyes neverleft the body of Ricardo that was slowly bleeding out. He didn't register when Olivia ran over to the little girl and man, asking their limp bodies if they were okay. She knew they were dead, the minute she saw his finger squeeze the trigger.

It wasn't until Olivia heard the sirens that she sank to the ground by the broken down door and put her gun down on the hard concrete. Her hands were shaking, her heart was racing, and her eyes were clouding. Why were her eyes clouding? She tried to mentally kick herself, beat herself up for letting herself lose control of her emotions, but it was no use,. The tears fell freely down her face and she wasn't about to wipe them away with her blood smeared hands from the little girl.

Minutes later, Fin and Munch ran in the room with their guns had his arms wrapped around Liv's shaking shoulders as they both cried, their red and wet eyes the unimaginable proof.

Everything else was a blur. Cragen had arrived at the crime scene staring at them in disbelief as the paramedics asking them if they were hurt. They both felt the overwhelming emotional shame of having fucked up badly.

It was when Olivia was wrapped up in a blanket in the back of one of the Sedans when she realized she had been the one screaming as she watched an innocent child get murdered because of their stupid mistake.


	2. Chapter2:Crazy, Nuts, and All Screwed Up

**A/N: Just wanna thank all my followers and people who reviewed! Please leave one again or if you haven't already! :-D Hope everyone had a good weekend and I'm going to try and update more...**

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**Chapter Two: Crazy, Nuts, and All Screwed Up**

November 1

It was dead silent in the precinct, even with all of the cops buzzing around there was barely a sound. All the was audible was the occasional cough or the murmur of a lowered conversation. Olivia and Elliot were both seated in Cragen's office, not sure what to say to one and other much less anyone else. Blood was still racing through their veins imagining the little girl's face, the way blood spattered the walls when he shot her...

Cragen had been outside discussing the situation with the lieutenant, who was to say the least not very happy. Elliot couldn't blame him. He'd been as enraged as the lieutenant was if two experienced detectives thought they could handle a largely armed sex slave rig all by themselves. Not to mention the fact that an innocent little girl got killed because of them. If they had waited for backup, Ricardo would have been shot from behind, unsuspecting, and two less lives would be lost.

They watched with intent as Cragen nodded to the yelling lieutenant who then marched off. Cragen stood for a moment, clearly as upset by the situation as Liv and Elliot, but he wasn't the kind of man to show it. He was the one person who was holding this family together and he wasn't about to break down in front of them.

Don swung open the door, not making eye contact with either of them before slamming it shut again and taking a seat at his desk, staring at his hands.

It was several long seconds before anyone spoke.

"Don...," Elliot began guilt present in his voice.

"Save it, Elliot," Cragen said in a low voice. Olivia didn't hear anger in his voice, only exhaustion. After all it was well after one in the morning and everyone's adrenaline was still running high as ever. None of them knew if they would ever be able to get any sleep again. The little girl's dead body was still plastered in the minds of all three of them, but only Elliot and Olivia remembered the way she was begging for the man to get off of her.

"There has been an utter uproar in the sex slave trade all across the globe.," Cragen told them, "Ricardo was their leader and now that you've killed him their sights are set on you." Elliot and Olivia exchanged a worried glance.

"Wait, what?," Elliot asked in confusion. "How the hell do you know they're coming after us?"

Cragen glanced at Elliot and Olivia both and finally sighed in exasperation.

"We have an undercover agent stationed in California. Ricardo hasn't been dead a day and theres already talk of murdering whomever killed him," Cragen said massaging the bridge of his nose with his fingers, trying to rid the headache that had been gnawing at his head for hours. Elliot and Olivia were silent, fear finding it's way into their minds. There was no way in hell any number of police officers and guns could protect them now. The sex slave industry was one of the most dangerous and prosperous in the world. It was easy money, using women and girls to provide a body for a horny pedophiles who wanted no commitments or arrests to be made. It was sad, but it was the truth and there wasn't a chance that it would ever die down...not when it was so successful.

"What should we do?," Olivia squeaked next to Elliot, mulling over the situation in her mind. Cragen sighed and looked at the two of them. The two detectives that he knew couldn't work without each other. Elliot had been gone for two long years, leaving Olivia in sadness and guilt. Amaro had been a good partner. They'd gotten along, been good friends, helped each other out, but Cragen still knew she wanted her best friend back in her life. And when Elliot had showed up at the precinct pleading for his job back, explaining his divorce and his downhill spiral, Cragen knew he had to give him the benefit of the doubt. When Olivia found out that Nick had been partnered with Munch and that she was now back with her old partner, she hadn't been very happy. It took some extreme convincing from Cragen to have her give it a shot for a few months. She had agreed reluctantly, but she still gave Elliot those cold, snarky comments every once in a while.

"Witness Protection," Cragen said shortly, making eye contact with both of them.

"What?!," They said in unison, both shooting out of their seats and looking down at him as if he were crazy. Cragen knew that they would react like this, so he didn't blink an eye at their dramatic show.

"Liv, Elliot, I know that it seems like-," Cragen started, but Elliot cut him off.

"Don't you dare think that I'm going to leave my kids!," Elliot yelled, his face turning red with anger, "I know we screwed up and I'm sorry, but I can take care of myself." Cragen watched him intently.

"I don't need someone watching over me 24/7," Olivia said in a small voice, "I'm a trained detective, I can handle it."

"You didn't seem to show that tonight," Cragen said, his voice rising, "You both got two innocent people killed, one a little girl! I don't see how you came to make that decision that going in there by yourselves would be the smart thing to do! Because of you the sex slave trade is going to retaliate, kill more, do more, and make our lives hell! So don't tell me that you know what's best, because you don't!" There was an awkward silence after that.

"I want you both to be evaluated by Huang, then go home, take a few weeks off," Cragen said quietly. Olivia and Elliot nodded, not daring to argue back.

"You're dismissed," Cragen said. The two exited the office with their heads hung low in shame. They both could feel the stares of other detectives and officers burning into their souls, but they didn't have the energy or the pride to snap at them to mind their own business.

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Huang was seated across from Elliot in the interrogation room where it was quiet and peaceful, although slightly uncomfortable.

"Elliot, what did you feel after you realized that Lopez had shot the little girl and the man?," Huang asked, watching Elliot's body language. He fidgeted uneasily and clenched his fists making his knuckles turn white.

"I don't know...," Elliot said thinking of something that would satisfy Huang, "anger, I guess. I knew we had screwed up and this was our fault, but it just didn't seem real. It was like I was watching a scary movie or something." Huang nodded and scribbled something down.

"Where was that anger directed?," Huang asked.

"Myself," Elliot said.

"Not at Olivia?" Elliot shook his head.

"I was the one who left. I guess I feel like I should be the one with more responsibility because I just left...do you know what I mean?," Elliot asked as he tried to explain himself. Huang nodded.

"I think I do understand, Elliot. You're putting more pressure on yourself because you feel guilty about leaving the precinct," Huang said and Elliot nodded and sighed.

"Yeah...," Elliot responded, not wanting to talk anymore. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball in his apartment and sleep. Sleep through everything and just wallow in guilt for the rest of his life like Lopez wanted him to.

"I just...I just don't know how to handle this. When I shot Jenna I ran away from everything back to my family. Now I have nowhere to run...Kathy's gone, the kids are grown up except for Eli, but Kathy has custody of him. I screwed up before and I don't want to make that same mistake again," Elliot said laying his head in his hands. "I let my family, here, down. I left without even saying goodbye or giving an explanation. I was so selfish and I just don't want to do that again."

Huang saw the inner turmoil at work within Elliot and knew that it was killing him to be back at a place where he had previously run away from.

"Everyday when I pass that spot where I shot her, where she died...I just wonder why I even bothered to come back, but then I remember I owe these people something. I have to pay the price for screwing them over," Elliot said his eyes beginning to water.

"Elliot," Huang said in a smooth, comforting voice, "no one expects you to ever get over what happened with Jenna or with Ricardo. The fact that you're strong enough to realize your mistakes is good, but if you don't feel comfortable back here you might want to think about transferring." Elliot shook his head quickly and looked at him while trying to mentally rid the tears that were slowly falling down his face.

"I'm not running away from my problems like I did before," He said in a firm voice, "I'm staying. I have to."

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Olivia walked out of the interrogation room, her eyes red and slightly blood shot. Elliot was seated at his desk thinking over his conversation with Huang wondering if he would recommend Elliot being transferred. By the looks of Olivia's appearance, he wouldn't be the only one.

Olivia glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was a little after three o'clock in the morning. The bullpen was practically empty besides Elliot, Nick, and Amanda. Liv's eyes were heavy and swollen from crying as much as she tried to hold back tears. Sure, she'd seen people die before, but something about this time was especially different and she was still trying to figure it out.

"Liv," Elliot said in a small voice, "do you need a ride home?" Olivia looked at him and closed her eyes as she shook her head slowly. She was exhausted after everything that had happened and practically breaking down in front of Huang wasn't making her life any better.

She took her jacket off the back of her chair and put in on knowing that it was going to be freezing as hell outside.

"Olivia," Elliot said looking at her with concern.

"Yeah?," She answered not sure what he wanted now. She was angry, upset, and scared...the last thing she wanted was for Elliot to say something to set her off again.

"Please let me take you home." They stared at each other for a good, long time.

Ten minutes later they nestled in Elliot's grey sedan, driving in the direction of Olivia's apartment. Both of them were silent; reflecting on their own guilt, trying to decide on where to take life from here. Neither of them had come up with any conclusions.

Olivia picked at her thumbnail and thought about the little girl, the terrorized look on her face as the man raped her. She wondered if the police would ever be able to identify her as she was obviously from a foreign country from a home where no one would miss her or notice her absence. If they'd waited for backup maybe, just maybe that girl would be alive and breathing. Yes, she would be scarred for life, but she would still have a significant chance of living the rest of her life normally without the abuse she suffered in her early childhood. She wondered what life would've actually been like for her. The girl might've gotten married, had kids of her own, grown stronger as the days went by that she wasn't in the custody of some sick freak.

"Olivia," Elliot's voice rang out in the car as they stopped at a red light. Her head turned towards him and she tried to hide the tears that were filling up her eyes once more. He noticed though, he always would. He knew her way to well.

"What, El?," She sniffled wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"I'm sorry," He murmured.

"El, it takes two to tango," She said in a low voice.

"I meant about leaving," He said looking at her with his sapphire blue eyes, "I left you alone and I'm so sorry. I was a selfish bastard and, I just can't imagine what it was like for you." Olivia smiled weakly and took his hand in hers.

"It's in the past, Elliot...I'm over it," She said.

"What if I'm not?," He asked. Before Olivia could respond they heard an angry driver behind them curse in rage since the light had turned green some time ago. They began driving again and minutes later in silence they pulled up to Olivia's apartment. Elliot shut off the engine and turned to Olivia.

"Thanks for the ride," She whispered in a shaky voice as she swung open the door in the chilly November air.

"Can I walk you up?" Olivia gave him a look that he'd gotten many times when he got over protective.

"Com'on please," Elliot begged, cracking the first smile he had all night, "It'll make me feel better that you're safe."

"Fine...pussy...," She muttered with a smirk. They walked up to her apartment on the third floor of the building.

"Thanks, El," She turned around to face him as they approached the green door.

"Liv," He said his face turning pasty white.

"What, now you're gonna tell me you wanna sleep over?," Olivia asked playfully. Elliot shook his head.

"Liv seriously." He pointed behind her to the door. She saw a white note pinned on the door with neat cursive writing on it. Olivia walked over to it and without touching it, read it.

_**Dear Detective Benson, **_

_**Congratulations on killing one of the powerful men in the world, but we must warn you that you won't get off on your actions unharmed. We are guaranteed to keep you under our scope until the day you die which will be sooner than you expect. If you show this to anyone, you will face even bigger consequences. I must remind you that we have nothing to loose now, so don't think we're bluffing. **_

_**Love Always,**_

_**E.X. **_

"El...," Olivia breathed, her eyes wide with fright and horror. Elliot took her arm and tugged back down the hallway.

"I think we might have to rethink this whole witness protection thing," He muttered.


	3. Chapter 3: Profiles and Goodbyes :(

**Chapter 3: Profile **

November 1

It was a little after 6:30 in the already dull, sluggish morning. The sun was just beginning to send out a glimmer over the city that never slept as men and women walked out of their brownstones to go to work. Although the precinct itself was calm, emotions were still running high through everyone's veins and it felt as if it was going to be that way forever if they didn't come up with something to fix their very complex, out of control problem.

"It's your only option," Don said solemnly as he eyed the two detectives seated across from him in his snug, little office. Olivia didn't know why, but Cragen's office always seemed to calm her down. Looking at the pictures of Don's life on display behind his desk gave her an indescribable feeling almost as if she were watching a never ending movie of one of the greatest men on Earth. And to be honest Olivia did think of Don as one of the greatest men on Earth. The dark and soft colors of his office made her eyes feel even heavier with sleep and she struggled to keep them open which wasn't working out too well. Elliot shifted next to her on the red leather chair, sensing that she was drifting.

"Liv, if you need to take a few hours of sleep, you can head up to the crib," Don said noticing the state she was in by Elliot's concerned look. It took all of Olivia's might to pry her eyes open and grimaced slightly when a shot of pain ruptured up in her brain, protesting.

"No, no I'm fine," Olivia said hurriedly waving her hand, brushing off his suggestion. Don nodded, not bothering to argue with her. He knew when Olivia was lying and she knew right now she was more obviously then he had ever, but he knew if he made her go and rest it would prove to backfire. Cragen had that sinking feeling inside of him that she would wake up and be equally as bitchy had she gotten no sleep, mad that she was being bossed around even though he actually was her boss. It had happened on more than one occasion and he didn't want to add to that list.

"Look, we still need to figure out what the hell we're going to do," Elliot said sounding irritated, his eyes flickering back and forth between Cragen and Benson, "There is a sex slave base in almost every god damn state and country in the world, we're not gonna be safe anywhere we go." Don sighed and looked at his hands feeling a sickening feeling in his stomach as he heard the sad truth of his words.

"I know that, Elliot," He said, "but there is one place that might work out."

"Where?," Olivia and Elliot asked simultaneously. Elliot hoped more than he had hoped for anything from the bottom of his heart that it was somewhere that he would be able to see his kids. He understood in witness protection you had to cut off all contact with friends and family, but the hope that he might run into one of them on the street and explain to them silently what had happened was all he could wish for. As outlandish and crazy considering the circumstances at that might've seemed, he couldn't help but beg and plead to a God he believed in with his whole heart. Cragen hesitated.

"Where, Don?," Elliot asked with incredible intent, his eyes burning into his captain's, waiting for the words he craved, but knew knew would definitely not come out of his mouth.

"The Virgin Islands," he said quietly, almost like an ashamed child admitting what they had done wrong to their parents. There was absolute silence from Olivia and Elliot. Olivia's mind clouded over with what the hell it was going to be like going into hiding to a place that seemed more like a paradise than anything. She had been hoping along with Elliot that they would be somewhat close to home like Alex had been. At least she had been in the actual United States where she wasn't surrounded by water and other crazy things that neither of them were used to. How they were supposed to pose as some other people was something that also came to her mind. They had no experience with vacationing or whatever else you did on an island in the pacific and Olivia was certain there wasn't much else to do except be lazy and do absolutely nothing. The ironic thing about the things you were supposed to do there was that they were used to doing the exact opposite of that. They were at work 24/7, putting their heart and soul into the cases, not being all selfish and unproductive.

"Woah. So you're telling us we have to go to some sleezy paradise for the rest of our lives?," Olivia asked her eyebrows scrunching together, aware that since the Sex Slave Trade was so abundant everywhere that they would most likely be in hiding for a really long time, if not the rest of their lives. It would most likely be immediately noticed if they had arrived back in New York City since probably a million or more men were after them for killing their asshole leader. Cragen sighed heavily, closed his tired blue eyes, and nodded.

"Oh hell no." Elliot got up from his warm, comfortable seat that seemed to freeze from under him and began pacing the floor of Don's office, cracking his knuckles angrily. "I'm not going that far away from my kids, not from the city either!" He knew that it would be incredibly hard for him to break Cragen, but he wasn't giving up without a fight. Although he was absorbed in his own selfish thoughts, out of the corner of his eye he saw Olivia with her head hung, staring at her lap with wide eyes that she now wasn't forcing open. It gave him a brief feeling of sadness seeing his partner look just as scared and bewildered as he, but without a second thought he was back to his own line of thinking more of his kids than of her which he knew was so incredibly wrong, but he had a feeling it would never happen again after this.

"Ellio-"

"And I don't want to go to some vacation home anyway! I mean seriously this is absurd. Isn't there any other place we can go that's closer to home?! Where there's a god damn city around and there is an actual population." Elliot threw his hands up in exasperation, already overwhelmed beyond belief.

"Elliot, calm down," Olivia said quietly as a mouse turning in her seat to face him, looking at him with sad brown eyes that seemed to sooth him. Olivia Benson always had a power like this over him and he knew it. It was a rarity that someone, much less someone he had been partnered for over twelve years, could get his heart rate down from where it was. At that very moment he felt the heat from his face beginning to fade in just the slightest, but blood was still racing through his veins.

"I know we screwed up, but I can't leave my kids!," He said loudly, his voice not angry, but sad almost as if he were on the verge of sobbing. The thought of leaving his children all alone in the city with only Kathy, thinking that their father abandoned them was something he didn't want to think about much less happen.

"Elliot, it's the only way," Don said in a low voice not quite meeting his eyes. Before Elliot could object anymore there was a soft knock on the office door.

"Come in." Amanda opened the door looking just as exhausted as the three of them.

"Cap, Huang and Georgie are here to start the profiles," She said jerking her thumb backwards about to where the two Asain men were standing by the bullpen along with Fin, Nick, and Munch.

"Profiles?," Olivia asked in disbelief, "You're making profiles for us?" Good god, this was moving more fast than she had expected.

"It's non negotiable, you'd be putting everyone else's lives in danger if you were to stay here. I will personally drag you off to the islands kicking and screaming if I have to." Firmness surrounded Cragen's voice, although Olivia could see how much the words hurt to say as his eyes softened. He cleared his throat and continued with less determination in his voice

"You need a rock solid other life, Georgie and Huang will make sure that it'll fit based off of all couples living on million dollar islands."

"Couples?," Olivia asked her eyes scrunching together. She was certain that they were going to be stationed on separate islands. That's usually what happened anyway to Olivia's knowledge.

"It would be safer for you two to be stationed in the same place so you both can look out for each other. You'll most likely have an officer living with you for the time you're residing for your protection, of course," Don explained as they exited his office to have a conversation they would never forget.

* * *

"Angela and Corbin Kingsford," Huang said delicately laying a piece of paper on Olivia's desk where she was seated swirling the fresh coffee she wasn't really interested in with a bendy straw.

"Wow, certainly sounds rich," Elliot said glancing at the paper and to his annoyance seeing a picture of a beautiful, sunny island that couldn't more than three or four miles all around. There were green, leafy palm trees looking luscious as they basked in the bright sunlight. There was several small, pebbled roads winding around the island leading to lovely, white roofed houses with clear blue pools behind them looking exactly like the clear blue water surrounding the island. Why people would even bother building a pool when the ocean was not even a few steps away was beyond Elliot. Sometimes things in life didn't make a bit of sense and this was one of them that he was fairly certain he'd never figure out. Since the picture was taken from far up in the sky from what Elliot assumed was a helicopter, they clearly saw the white sand lining the coast, glimmering with small pieces of barely visible blue rocks he knew were sea glass from many trips to New Jersey with his children. Why anyone would need a fucking pool when they had a whole ocean with a beautiful view at their command was just crazy, but he brushed it off realizing he wasn't getting anywhere.

"The U.S. Virgin Islands are the only United States territory without any known sex trafficking scandals," Huang explained glancing at the both of their expressions as they took in their future home, "As you both know, most people living there are either wealthy and retired or wealthy and on vacation."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Elliot snapped, massaging his throbbing temple as he felt his whole world crumbling around him, "can you give us some details about our lives or something important?" Huang's nostrils flared in irritation and exchanged a look from Olivia who understood Huang's pain of being harassed by a crabby Elliot which was never fun...ever.

"If you have the slightest bit of patience for others, you would know I was getting to that," Huang shot back clenching his fists willing himself not to lose his temper and sink down to the detective's level. Elliot snapped his head up and started to advance menacingly towards Huang wanting to punch something; anything. The doctor just happened to be the one person he was angry at at the moment.

"You really wanna go?" Elliot jabbed a finger at Huang's chest whose dark eyes flashed in anger, but stood strong and stared down the bigger and more powerful man who wouldn't dare hurt him, just threaten him and try to shake him. Being the smart doctor he was, he wouldn't give in to what he wanted.

"Elliot, sit yo' ass down," Fin interrupted grabbing Elliot's shoulders forcefully and pushing him into his chair and glaring at him for starting trouble. They all knew that Elliot instigating people would only slow down the process of safety for everyone.

Huang continued without blinking an eye, happy and content that he had refused to show his anger towards Elliot.

"Olivia, Angela Kingston grew up in Philadelphia with her business man father who invented a popular birth control pill. He made millions off of it and you inherited most of it when he left you it in his will. He died of lung cancer when you were seven. You moved to New York City when you were eighteen where you met your husband." Olivia raised her eyebrows and sighed, not liking where her life story was going. She could've at least had a brave and nobel history, but of course that would be way to simple wouldn't it.

"Your mother didn't work either and has since died. You had no siblings to share your father's fortune with," Georgie chimed in, "You have a very high strung attitude and you take no respect for those less fortunate than you."

"Oh great. Just so fucking great," Olivia muttered her eyes wide while shaking her head, "I honestly don't see how that is going to happen," Huang smiled lightly at how Olivia could completely reject something she had barely taken a second to think over. It was a typical thing for her to do, but it would only take minor coaxing for her to change her mind. It was just the way she was and although some people might think it would make her an easy target, it showed that she tried to be a hard ass, she was still the caring and open-minded figure people always discovered in the end.

"Yes, Liv," Georgie answered with a chuckle, "but, just think of it like being undercover for a while." Olivia rolled her eyes and snorted. She would never admit to anyone that she would keep that sentence in mind while down there. It was better than going through it alone and figuring out things for herself. At least she had Georgie's small voice in her head to guide her through this steaming pile of shit.

"Yeah, undercover for a little long than I'd like." The other detectives in the room muttered their agreement on that one. Olivia found it strange that Don was letting them stay there and listen in on the operation. In fact under normal circumstances he would have kicked Amanda, Munch, Fin, or Nick out before they had even begun to construct something so top secret that held the lives of two of New York's finest detectives in it's hands. Cragen had known that none of them would let it slide that two of their best friends were placed in Witness Protection without them being aware. They were family and they had a right. Sure, their lives might be in danger now, but unless the walls were bugged the trade would probably not know that the rest of the team was aware of their positions.

"Elliot, Corbin Kingsford is a retired stock broker with royal bloodlines from Ireland. He's been rich all his life and his parents didn't work a day in their lives like Angela." Elliot sighed, clearly not happy that his life story wasn't much better than Olivia's. In fact it was equally as embarrassing to have such a lazy family and job he always thought of as stupid.

"You attended Yale and moved to New York City as soon as you were finished. You were taught to take pity on the poor, so you're not as uh...head strong as Mrs. Kingston."

"Nice safe," Amanda snickered biting her thumbnail as she leaned back comfortably in her seat. As unenjoyable as this conversation was, Amanda tried to made the best of it. It was something she had learned to be good at since she was a little girl. Growing up in a shitty family with a nutty sister made her realize that bringing the light out in the darkest situations made things seem less dull, even if it was just a hypothetical veil over sadness and pain. Although it would be extremely difficult for things to seem better in times like this where a little girl was murdered, your two best friends were being threatened and had to be shipped off away from their family and friends, Amanda had to try.

"I printed out some guidelines for the both of you for sociopaths," Huang handed them both a piece of paper with personality traits printed on them. Something the both of them had learned in college was that people with a lot of power, for example stock brokers, were sociopaths which made it easier for them to fight their way to the top without feeling and regret or remorse about their actions.

"Manipulative?," Elliot questioned with a small smile as his eyes scanned the page at all the things that he and Olivia certainly weren't.

"Stabler," Munch said patting his shoulder behind him as he read along the page with him, "you got some of our female crazies to confess by the power of your charm. This shouldn't be much different." The group chuckled with genuine lightheartedness that only lasted a few seconds before the mood turned serious again.

"What is the name of this Island we're staying at?," Asked Olivia curiously after she had given up on reading the bullshit list in her hands.

"Dolphin Reef," Huang answered, "it's a few miles off shore from one of the main islands, Saint Johns." It took a few long moments for the group of them to mull over what was happening. As they heard the actual place they were staying at, the whole bunch of them saw how close the end was. By the end of the day they all knew Olivia and Elliot would be on their way to a whole other life. Just the thought that they would never be in this precinct much less city ever again almost physically broke everyone's hearts.

"So where do we go from here?," Elliot wondered out loud looking at his hands wanting to fill the sad, awkward silence. The last thing he wanted was for anyone, especially himself to start crying.

"Dolphin Reef," Answered Olivia before she knew what she was saying.

* * *

It was barely an hour later when Cragen exited his office to where Nick, Munch, Elliot, and Olivia were talking of them were sitting, just talking trying to avoid the topic of leaving. It was so blatantly obvious, but none of them cared. All they cared about was being in the presence of their best friends.

"The jet's arrived." Don's voice rang out through the whole bullpen, shattering the conversation the four of them were having. Their brief time of content and waiting was over now and it hurt everyone of them to realize it.

As if on cue the elevator dinged and Amanda and Fin stepped out with two large duffles slung over their shoulders.

"Here honey," Amanda lay the bag down on Olivia's desk when she had walked over. Elliot couldn't help but notice that Olivia's bag was reasonably more full than his own as he tried to focus his attention on the bag rather than the knowledge they were leaving soon. He couldn't figure out why women packed so damn much on vacation anyway. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted when he thought of the time he'd taken Maureen to the beach and she brought a whole suitcase with her, even though it was only for the day. God dammit now he was thinking about his kids and Kathy who would never know the truth. Cragen had pulled him off to the side privately when they had finished profiling themselves and suggested they not tell his family the truth, therefore they'd be in less danger. Elliot didn't dare argue with that one, but recommended they be moved away just in case one of Ricardo's crazed followers decided to pay Kathy a visit.

"Thanks," Olivia muttered to Amanda with lowered eyes as she began to fumble around in her desk with miscellaneous files and random papers from five years ago which was the last time she recalled cleaning her desk.

"You know Liv," Cragen began as Elliot explored what Nick packed for him in his bag, "you're not going to be doing any work there." Olivia nodded and muttered something in response that didn't sound like words.

"Ayo, man," Elliot huffed as he swung a pair of underwear out of the duffle, "why is there only _one_ pair of underwear in here?" As funny as the situation was even with the dark cloud hanging over them, Amanda was the only one that cracked a smile. She was the only one that suspected after all of these years Fin still held a grudge against Elliot, not necessarily because of going through his personal phone, but for abandoning Olivia. Everyone had been mad at Stabler at one point or another then, but most anger had been long extinguished since he'd been back. Fin and Olivia both still had that all-to-familiar fire burning in the back of their eyes. Olivia's had been began to fade, but Fin's was still as strong as ever. Amanda also had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind Cragen selected Fin to pack his bag because he still might be pissed as hell too.

"Whoops," Fin muttered sarcastically, clearly not sorry at all.

"Com'on guys," Cragen said looking at the both of them, obviously procrastinating like a child not wanting to leave their parent's car for sleep away camp. Olivia was still shuffling through her desk with things she would never have normally looked at again had she not been so desperate to stay and Elliot was still trying to figure out what other things Fin had packed for him which he would never have normally cared who packed him what. They stopped when Cragen cleared his throat impatiently and zipped up Elliot's bag for him. He walked over to Olivia and lay a hand on her shoulder. She hesitated before sliding the metal drawer shut with a surrendering sigh and standing up with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so used to being able to protect myself," Liv squeaked, not sounding like her normal, confident self, "I-I don't think I can do this." In all honesty Olivia would have never shared something so personal and private, even with her best friends, but considering she would most likely never see them again she decided to wing it and give up her stubborn, guarded personality.

"Olivia," Amanda piped up with her sweet southern accent, "baby doll, you can do this. You're strong-probably stronger than all of us. You've seen the world like none of us have and we all know that you honestly have the courage to do this...all of it." Olivia smiled, slowly feeling like she was falling down a hole; a deep, dark, empty hole where she would be trapped inside the rest of her life without her friends, her family, her job...everything she cared about was dissolving in front of her in a matter of hours and there wasn't one god damn thing that she could do about it. Before either of them knew it, Amanda and her were hugging and crying; crying for the friendship that they had made that was coming slowly to an end, crying for the people Olivia would never see again, crying for that thought that would surely be in the back of everyone's mind wondering if Olivia and Elliot were safe and happy. But the worst part about that was, they had no way of knowing.

"Thank you, Amanda," Olivia whispered genuinely in the ear of her best friend and sister who, she knew, she would never forget. A few grueling moments later they pulled away and each grinned a watery, smile with sadness and heartache burning in their eyes. Olivia knew that they were both only smiling for the sake of each other. They didn't want the last thing they remembered about one and other to be them sobbing with agony.

The next few minutes were a whirlwind of emotions all masked with weak smiles. Nick and Olivia hugged and recalled in their minds the brief time they were partners, how at first they didn't exactly get along, but then they clicked like Olivia and Elliot had. Except she thought of Nick as a little brother, a little brother so protective and caring that she couldn't bear to see him dissapear out of her life, not on these circumstances. Fin pulled her aside as Elliot shook hands with everyone and promised that they would be safe and wished them luck with the rest of their lives.

"Baby-girl," Fin said in a hused tone brushing away a stay tear that traced down Olivia's cheek, "if that son of a bitch does anything, and I mean anything, to hurt or upset you, I want you to call me right away." Olivia bit her lip trying not to smile at Fin's everlasting hatred of Elliot.

"Thanks Fin, but I think we'll do just fine," Olivia responded hugging him, "but, if he even thinks about pissing off bad-ass Benson, I will keep in touch," She finished with a whisper. Fin laughed and squeezed her body tightly, already missing her just wanting to remember having someone like a little sister in his arms.

"Is everyone ready?," Cragen asked. Everyone mumbled a gloomy chorus of "yeah"s and "I guess"es even though the question was only directed towards two people. As Olivia and Munch said their good-byes, Elliot and Cragen waited patiently by the elevator.

"Elliot," Cragen said in a low voice, "I'm sorry things had to turn out this way." Elliot felt a pang of guilt collide with his stomach and felt an overwhelming urge to start crying which he wouldn't allow. God damn it, everything was happening to quickly he barely registered that it was the last time they would be there in that room.

"Me too," He murmered back.

Once the three of them were on the elevator they took a look at the people they had grown so incredibly close to over the span of a few short years or the long stretch of twelve. Amanda, who made everyone smile, Fin, the overprotective older brother and mentor, Nick, the guy you could vent your feelings to without having questions raised and rumors started, Munch, the wise, funny, conspiracy-filled figure that everyone admired and loved, all stood watching the two people that were a part of their strongly built relationship. Yes, they'd had their ups and downs, fights and fits of hysterical laughter, but through all of that they'd never broken that bond that pulled them so closely together. It was the people Olivia had dreamed about when she was a child. It wasn't a mother drinking and abusing her little girl, it was full of people who loved and cared for you no matter what kind of mess you got yourself in to. It wasn't just a friendship, it was something more...a true family.

Then the doors closed and everyone was gone.

* * *

When they arrived at the runway where the small, white jet was sitting, Olivia and Elliot took one last look at the skyscrapers towering over the grounds of New York City in the distance. Two men in dark suits took their bags onto the plane as they turned to face Don.

"You guys, I know as much as you want to call us every chance you get, don't," Cragen told them, "We can't risk that if the trade somehow bugged our phones." Olivia and Elliot nodded in understand as they heard the roar of the jet's engine start. Olivia hugged the man tightly who had been like a father to her. She trusted him with her life, yet she would never see him again; never hear his rumbling, deep voice or see his wise navy eyes. Everything she had treasured and held close to her heart was gone in such a short time it felt like a dream, not reality.

"Thank you, Don," She whispered one last time more meaning then just saving her life. She was thanking him for teaching her, for loving her, for being her everything. Olivia pried herself away from him, a dull pain present in the pit of her stomach and walked up the stairs onto the plane. Elliot and Don exchanged words outside and as Liv watched from the window, she could swear she saw a tears shining in the captain's eyes. Before she knew what was happening Elliot was in the plane with her, the jet was roaring, and they were speeding down the runway watching their captain vanish.

As they ascended into the white, fluffy clouds they looked at the skyline for one last time before they were thrown into a world they had never thought they'd have to face before.


	4. Chapter 4: Dolphin Reef

**A/N: Hey! So thankful for all the reviews I'm getting :-) pretty please leave one...it'll make my life :-P I didn't mean to offend anyone who lives in the Virgin Islands :-D Honestly I'd rather live there than anywhere! Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

November 1

The small plane was cosy and comfortable, filled with all necessary supplies needed for the five hour flight to Saint John's. Anyone else would've been content, maybe even happy that they were fortunate enough to have stacks of endless magazines and dozens of energy drinks all to themselves as they headed off to a warm, sunny paradise. Anyone else, that is, besides Elliot and Olivia.

They were silent, awkwardly silent as a matter of fact. Olivia was curled up in a tight ball on the couch, her feet tucked under her ass and her head resting on the back of the clean, white sofa so that she was looking out the window at the sun that was already beginning to set since it was well past one in the afternoon. Orange and golden sunlight splayed out across her face and made the amber strands in her chestnut hair twinkle with heavenly bliss. Elliot watched her with intensity as her dark, chocolaty eyes roamed around the sky outside. It was almost as if her eyes were caressing the soft, fluffy clouds as they drifted past the speeding engine. Somewhere...somewhere deep down in Elliot's heart as involuntary as the thought was, he knew that in that moment, he was seeing something out of Olivia he'd never seen before. Maybe it was vulnerability that he saw etched on her face or maybe it was the sheer indefinite thoughts that trickled in and out of her mind as she tried to decide how she was supposed to feel right now. Whatever it was, Elliot thought it was beautiful. It was like watching an infant stand for the first time. At first they teetered on the edge on their unsteady little feet as they tried to figure out what this new position was, then they finally were there; standing. Their little bodies were perfectly in line with gravity and they had the connection with the Earth that they saw their mommies and daddies have. Their reactions would vary from fits of giggles as they ventured out into the world of grownups, and others would collapse crying, not knowing what to do from there on out. Olivia was seesawing from one of these emotions to the other and she had yet to figure out which one to go with.

Elliot scrubbed a hand down his face and focused his attention on the new iPhone laying in his lap; all new contacts, all new dumb apps, all new life compressed into a tiny piece of technology. There had been strict directions from the co-pilot who happened to work for the FBI, that they had to confiscate their old phones and take new ones into their possession. When he'd ordered them not to even try to contact any of their family members or friends, Elliot had objected. All he wanted to do was to call Maureen, to tell her he was sorry he was bailing out on them like this, but it was for his own protection. He wanted to be given the chance to explain it to his kids that might never see him again, instead of thinking that their father had given up on them, had fled when things got bitter, just as he had done with Olivia. Elliot knew he wasn't the perfect father. Hell he even tried, but life was just to goddamn complicated. This whole thing would completely corrupt the shaky trust he wasn't sure he had with all of his children, even Kathy. He hoped to god when some agent came to their house and made them aware of the situation, Kathy would put up a fight, demand to know where her ex-husband was. Kathy wasn't stupid, in fact Elliot was sure she would know something was going on. The questionable part was whether she would give in and accept things as they were, or try with all her might to find out what was going on. Except if she was able to find out what was really going on, the trade would surely have an easy job on their hands.

For a while he found himself dozing in and out of consciousness, thinking about what his future life might hold, whether it be spending nights in misery, pleasuring himself without the exposure to a female body he wanted to make love to, or actually making love to one. His mind flickered to Olivia. How he would have given anything to touch her, to feel her all those years ago when they first met. Her young, athletic, curvy body was enough to make even a dedicated Catholic married man, harder than a goddamn boulder. Sometimes he would have found himself touching himself thinking of her and the way her lips curved into a smile when he made her laugh. It would take him years, though, to learn that she wasn't that type of woman to let relationships get in the way of the job. Olivia was far too professional for that and it shattered his heart into a million pieces. He remembered distinctly when she had posed as a prostitute, the overwhelming feeling of protectiveness that had clouded over him. His primal instinct to protect her from those sons of bitches, how he would have done anything to keep her safe. And when she wrapped her tan, warm arms tightly around his back and her full breasts covered by the thin material of the lacy bra pressed against his chest, he knew that he still loved her as buried as those feelings had been minutes previously.

He was and had been in denial for far too long.

He felt something poking at his arm and thought maybe it a memory of the onetime they'd gotten into a French fry fight at some ghetto restaurant they'd gone to after they had finished a particularly hard case. Of course Olivia had insisted they spice things up a bit and take a break from their normal bar around the corner from the precinct. They'd found _Johnny's Place _as they wandered the streets searching for a place that wasn't overcrowded or overly expensive. They had been drunk off their asses and stumbled their own ways home, but Elliot still remembered every second of that night; how they spent a fairly long time laughing their asses off at the most ridiculous things such as the shitty excuse for a salad Olivia had ordered, earning them a glare from the waiter, the one, large, greasy French fry flying through the air and hitting a rather large black woman in the back of the head. That was when they had both bolted out of there, slamming a forty down on the table and hysterically cackling all the home. The thought of that Olivia's smile as she laughed at the memory of the way the woman had turned around, advancing towards them, yelling explicit things, drove him nuts the whole way home. Of course he was too drunk to drive, as a matter of fact he wasn't entirely sure if he walked home, or flagged a cab down. Whichever way it was, Kathy was mad as hell, but Elliot didn't care. He spent most of the night thinking about Olivia and wishing she was in his arms.

"Elliot," an angelic voice called he recognized right away, "get your ass up." So very angelic. Elliot's blue eyes fluttered open and he looked around the jet, still slightly blurry from the hazy film that had covered his pupils as he slept.

"We're here?" It had seemed only minutes that they had taken off as they took one last look at Cragen and the city they loved so dearly. Olivia nodded and brushed a piece of her hair out of her eyes as she bent down to snatch her duffle bag that was laying on the floor across from Elliot. He saw part of her lower back, the tan, soft skin that he knew always admired. Damn her and her Italian heritage.

"I'm just warning you now," growled Olivia as she shoved her own new iPhone into the side pouch of the duffle, "I'm _not _doing you laundry." Elliot chuckled to himself and pulled himself out of his comfortable leather seat that had lulled him to sleep, noticing the erection straining against his pants that must've formed as he slept. He grabbed his duffle quickly and placed it on his lap and sat back down again. Olivia didn't notice his jerky movements, thank God, as she rummaged through her bag looking for something else.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Liv," Elliot mumbled as his attention turned to the oval windows lining the interior of the plane. Olivia grumbled something inaudible in reply that Elliot didn't bother asking for elaboration about.

Minutes later that they felt the rough bumps of the jet's wheels touching down to the runway lined with full, ripe, luscious trees. They waited patiently for the door to open and for the stairs to slowly descend onto the hot asphalt that sizzled with humidity. Olivia groaned as she felt the heat hit her with full force and put on the sunglasses that she had retrieved from her bag. Elliot bit his lip as he tried to fight the attraction he felt to the involuntarily sexy noise she made.

Ahead of them, Olivia and Elliot noticed two men walking in synch; one with a black suit on who looked oh-so-serious, and the other who had on a tropical shirt and khaki shorts, was grinning like a young boy watching porn for the first time. He looked extremely comfortable in his vacationing outfit as he sauntered towards them. On the contrary, how anyone could survive in this heat with a goddamn suit on was beyond either of the two. Elliot noticed, his dominance roaring forward in his brain, that both of the men could undoubtedly have been models if they wanted to. This was much to his dislike. The man in the suit had dark hair that curled around his head like it was professionally styled, which Elliot had his overwhelming suspicions that it was. He had slight stubble lining around his neck and jaw that gave him the look of someone who had just spent a lazy day on the beach, but was to gorgeous to give a crap about shaving. Although he had on tinted black sunglasses, Elliot knew that beneath them, his eyes had to be just as attractive as the rest of him. The younger looking guy, was somewhat the opposite; he had coppery, blonde hair that stuck up in random directions that gave him a look that screamed "boyish attitude." His eyes were green and bright even at a bit of a distance. Tattoos snaked up his muscular arms as he waved merrily at the two confused detectives. Why there was some kid advancing towards them was a mystery. They saw the man in the suit glance at the younger boy out of the corner of his glasses with disdain and he immediately withdrew himself. It seemed to take forever for the two of them to finally met Elliot and Olivia by the plane.

"Morning, detectives," The man in the suit said in a smooth voice like butter, "Vince Tavilla," He stuck out his hand to Olivia first, who grasped it tightly with a smile that Elliot knew was fake. Although Olivia didn't seem to thrilled with this Vince guy, Elliot felt a pang of jealously. He wanted this Vince dude to know that Olivia was his. He silently wondered if Olivia felt any sort of sexual attraction to the agent. Elliot really hoped she didn't.

"Hey guys," the younger one piped out sticking out his own hand to them, grinning brightly with excitement, "I'm Steven Meadows." His eyes seemed to shine over with delight as he eyed Olivia's breasts with certain enthusiasm. Vince cleared his throat and nudged Steven in the ribs.

"You should excuse Meadows," he said with a grin tugging at his lips, "he's still a bit of a youngster." Olivia furrowed her eyebrows.

"Vince," Olivia said softly, "I don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't someone more experienced be handling witness protection?" Pride swelled up inside of Elliot as he saw the two smiles fade from their faces. Steven looked heartbroken, but Vince looked slightly angry that this woman he had just met was questioning him. Elliot had a feeling that Vince was one of those men he met on the job that thought they were better than anyone else. As a matter of fact, he'd met several FBI agents who acted the same way.

"Steven is going to be the guard stationed at your house," Vince gritted out and Steven's smile returned again at the thought of living on the same premises where the sex goddess would be residing. Olivia and Elliot on the other hand looked dumb struck. Wouldn't that be a dead giveaway that there was something fishy going on with the new couple in town? Vince seemed to sense this and to elaborate more added, "He's posing as your son."

"Yeah," Steven said, his grin returning, "and I must say my mom is pretty damn attractive." Elliot's eyes flashed with anger and Olivia's hand flew to his as if to sooth a child about to throw a tantrum. He was positive that even Kathy couldn't have calmed him with just her touch, only Olivia.

"Oh...er thank you," Olivia said politely a hint of discomfort in her voice, "well...uhm is there anything else we should know?" Vince nodded and withdrew a key ring from his suit pocket with three little golden keys on them.

"These are keys to your boat to transport you from the mainland to Dolphin Reef," Vince said showing them the first key that had a tiny "B" etched into it, "This one," he held up a second key with a tiny "G" etched in it, "is for your golf cart."

"Golf cart?," Olivia repeated with a quizzical look. It wasn't everyday you randomly got a golf cart. Vince nodded.

"Because Dolphin Reef is such a small island, there really isn't any need for an actual car. You rarely need the golf cart except when going to and from the dock or going to the beach on the North side of the island," He explained, "You will have your own private beach, but there is one available to all families residing on the island complete with a bar, lounge chairs, and a hot tub." If only they were there on another occasion, their mouths would be watering in anticipation to go to the heavenly kingdom that was all for them, but they were here because they had to. And that sucked.

"This third one is for your house," Vince told them, holding up the third and final key with a small "H" on it, "it opens up pretty much every door in the house except for the panic room." Now they had a fucking panic room, just fucking great.

"Well, how do we get into that?," Elliot asked, praying that they would never have to use it. If they were found by the slave trade, they could only assume they would get to the panic room in time to be safe. If they didn't, Elliot was certain their mutilated bodies would be discovered, with much torture and damage done to them.

"The room is hidden on the third floor of the house. Steven will show you where it is. There's a number code on it that consists of any amount of numbers," Vince informed them, "we have it pre-set to the five number code, 63845. There's a paper taped on the door of the room and Steven's got it memorized. I doubt you're ever going to need it, but just remember if you do to take the note off the door before you lock yourselves in. Got it?," He asked making sure that they understood the precautions they had to take in order to remain safe. They both nodded eagerly, just wanting just to get to the house and to sleep the rest of their lives away. Steven grinned and snatched the keys from Vince.

"I guess it's off to Dolphin Reef, Mom and Dad," He said wickedly.

* * *

The car ride to the coast of Saint John's was a relatively long one. On the way there they passed people that must've been native to the Virgin Islands. They were tan and dark from the strong, inevitable sun rays beating down on them constantly. They were well dressed in light, thin clothing and seemed to always be smiling and laughing, enjoying themselves on their very own island in the sun. Once, when they drove by a group of children splashing in a small fountain, Steven mentioned that most people in the Virgin Islands were happy because they weren't affected much the economy like other countries. They grew their own food, sold their own goods and tourist attractions, which made life seem a whole lot simpler compared to other countries.

Roughly and hour, Steven, Liv, and Elliot hopped out of Steven's beat up jeep, having departed from Vince at the airport who didn't feel the need to accompany them. Olivia breathed out a whistle took a good, long look at the ocean. The water was a clear, crystal aqua that seemed to be so insanely pure, Olivia had the urge to dive right into it, clothes on and all. The sand was a pristine shade of white and there wasn't a footprint to be seen on the long stretch of it as it wove around Saint John's. Olivia noticed that the deeper she looked out into the ocean, the darker shade of blue it got, and the stronger the urge to jump in and take a swim tugged at her legs. To distract herself, she focused her eyes on the large dock up ahead that had a few speedboats parked neatly next to one and other. Grabbing their bags, Steven led them over to a shiny, new electric blue speedboat. Olivia wobbled slightly on the dock, feeling the water lap up under the wooden planks, and Elliot involuntarily grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"Damn," Elliot muttered as he helped Olivia climb into the boat. Both of them weren't exactly familiar with being on water, but Elliot figured they had each other to get used to it. "How much can the FBI afford?" Steven grinned shyly.

"Actually, this is my boat," He informed Elliot as he gently placed their bags down on the floor, "my father got it for me for my eighteenth birthday and I haven't used it since. I was kinda preoccupied with college, you know?," Steven shoved the key in the ignition and the boat rumbled to life with a roar that sounded like motorcycle, "I thought it might be worth a shot taking it over here." Steven jerked the wheel around and they started slowly backing up out of their space. Olivia looked down over the side of the boat into the water and immediately spotted a bright pink starfish at the very bottom of the water, nestled in the pretty, white sand that had slight wavy patterns curling over it. Something about seeing nature for the first time in real life, made Olivia way more vulnerable and excited than she would normally have let herself get. She tugged on Elliot's sleeve, wanting someone to share her discovery with. He leaned over with a grin and looked out, his hand inadvertently grazing the smooth curve of her waist. They both flinched simultaneously, not because they didn't like the sensual touch of each other, but more because they were so used to being in the friend zone, not the "married" zone. Steven burst out snickered as he waited lazily for the boat to finish backing up.

"You know you guys are going to have to be a little more touchy-feely then just a brush," He informed them of the obvious as he turned around, twisted the wheel, and proceeded to zoom out away from the beach and out into the beautiful crystal water. Both of their eyes lowered to their laps, suddenly self conscious about the slight awkwardness. Steven spoke the truth, they would certainly have to show affection to the other couples on the island to prove they were actually married. Both of them had genuine, hidden attraction to each other, but neither one of them knew it.

Olivia chewed her thumbnail and proceeded in looking off the side of the boat again, wondering if there was anything else she could spot that was so incredibly foreign to her. Elliot coughed and turned his back to her and looked out the other side of the boat, thinking the same thing. Both of them thinking this, distracted them from facing the unavoidable truth.

"Wow...," Steven murmured to himself as he steered the boat smoothly around the perimeter of the island flying past a few people tanning in the sun, laying comfortably on the smooth sand, "look I'm just saying, you're supposed to be married," Steven said glancing behind him, shooting them both a look that wasn't not quite anger, more of a mixture of disbelief and wonder. Elliot's head snapped up angrily. Having this kid pester him all day about their behavior wasn't helping his current mood at all, in fact it was making him extremely uncomfortable. He just wanted to be left alone and was sure as hell Olivia was too.

"Look, Steven, just drop it, okay?," Elliot said, irritation in his voice, "it's all a little weird for all of us, so just let it go." Steven sighed heavily at his words, giving up on trying to talk to them and continued to navigate his way around the island without another glance at either of them. For a little while they wove their way around tiny islands branching off of Saint John's; some of them were fairly large, some of them were barely a quarter of a mile. They all had the same lush green abundance of palm trees and flowers blossoming all around them, white sand glistening in the sunlight, and the exact same crystal water lapping up against the shore sending gentle, comforting sounds to the ears of everyone on the boat. Roughly twenty minutes of awkward silence later a mid-sized island came into view that Olivia recognized vaguely at Dolphin Reef. There was a small, wooden dock that looked like the mini version at the one at Saint John's with two small speedboats, similar to Steven's, resting there. Olivia saw the familiar, narrow, winding, pebbled road descending over a hill leading to each of the houses. Steven pulled the boat into the dock with professional ease and grabbed the duffels with his strong arms.

Olivia was slightly grateful that Steven was carrying their bags, as heavy as they were. He seemed like a pretty decent guy. As a matter of fact, besides the slight annoyance of him bothering them about their discomfort towards each other, Olivia thought that he would be a gentleman to live with. Of course even gentlemen, especially young ones, liked to look at female body parts and she would not, could not, hold him into account for that.

They began the walk down the dock, admiring the aqua water the whole time, until they approached a small pebbled lot with a few golf carts parked. Steven led the way to a deep, navy, golf cart that somewhat reminded them of the colour of Steven's speedboat. He quickly placed the bags on the back of the golf cart and hopped in the driver's seat, once more slipping the key in the ignition. Olivia jumped in next to him, leaving Elliot to sit in the back along with the baggage. He glared at her, although he really didn't care. Olivia stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. With that they started off down the road that undoubtedly wound around the island.

The tropical trees whizzed past them and Elliot felt some of the overgrown leaves slap the side of his legs lightly. The pebbles crunched noisily under the weight of the golf cart. The humidity was catching up to him now and he slowly felt his eyes drifting shut. Everything was lulling him to sleep: the noises, the heat, the incredible earthy smell. He was instantly jerked awake when Steven announced that they were there, snapping him out of his nap.

Elliot's eyes widened.

Olivia's eyes widened.

The house was huge, three floors. The first floor looked almost transparent with floor to ceiling glass windows that had pretty, light shutters open, exposing the whole interior. Olivia caught a glimpse of a kitchen and vowed that she would learn how to cook. The centre of the second floor was panelled with the same floor to ceiling windows that revealed a long hallway with cream coloured walls, a several pictures that were to distant to see. The third floor was slightly triangular, but there were three little white windows that gave the house a more innocent look, as if it were from the country instead of on an island. The driveway they were currently pulling into was pebbled with little white, blue, grey, and yellow rocks that crunched the same way the ones on the road did when they took the first step out onto their new and unfamiliar home. Olivia noticed how cleanly manicured the grass was and how several palm trees and beautiful, exotic flowers lined their property.

Somewhere in the distance Olivia could hear the soft hum of music. It didn't sound like the familiar pop you heard teenagers listening to, but like voices woven together almost as if to form pure silk to your ears. The voices were definitely not in English. As a matter of fact it sounded foreign, as if from Africa.

"What's that?," Elliot asked as they made their way up the front porch of the house, still slightly in a daze by it's unbelievable beauty and class. Steven frowned slightly.

"Our neighbours," He muttered weakly shoving his thumb in the direction back down the narrow path that led further into the depths of the island, "Honestly they're nice people, but," Steven paused as he flicked out the tiny gold key with the encrusted "H" on it and jammed it into the door, "they can be a little high strung sometimes." The door swung open with his last words and Olivia and Elliot couldn't hold back the gasps that escaped their mouths as they drank in the scene before them.

A long coppery carpet stretched out in front of them leading straight through the house. The fabric was brightly decorated with little gold triangles that were scattered along the length of the whole thing. Olivia felt the softness of the material as she stepped into the air-conditioned house that had somewhat of a fruity smell to it; almost like freshly cut peaches.

Elliot grinned as he looked to his left and saw a long, leather, coffee-coloured couch stretching around the room with a few neutral throws tossed over the back of it. He had to urge to jump on it right then and there and flip on that plasma flat screen TV that was nestled on the wall about six feet in front of it. Elliot saw that the coffee table had an arrangement of pretty tulips in the centre of it and made a small reminder to himself to get rid of them later. Steven coughed and smiled to himself as he saw the impressed expressions on both of his "parents." He grabbed them both by the elbows and led them onto the hardwood floors of the living room and gently gave them a nudge so they would sit down on the plush leather couch.

"I'll get you guys something to drink," Steven announced with a grin as he disappeared around the corner to where the kitchen must've been. Olivia thought for a moment as she glanced out into the outdoors through the glass windows out into nature. It was almost as if the whole island were vibrating with some invisible energy. Like a thousand tiny little electric fans all blowing at once. She had the impression that every time she was to walk into her house, her breath would instantly be taken away. Somewhere in her mind Olivia knew, as much as she loathed Dolphin Reef before, that she would enjoy herself here. It was like discovering a new planet, except a lot closer to home. Plus she didn't have the fear that aliens would come out and attack her.

Steven came back a moment with two, large martini glasses with little tiny umbrellas sticking up out of the golden drink. Elliot already had the strange feeling they were basking in the sun as they took the cool beverage and let the foreign, delicious alcohol burn their throats.

"Are you guys likin' it so far?," Steven asked them with an amused grin laying his feet up on the coffee table. Olivia nodded, biting her tongue, afraid she'd say something completely inappropriate like, 'I would have sex with this place if I could.'

"Yeah," Elliot muttered with a faint smile, his eyes flickered outside to where the sun was almost disappearing behind the trees. Although it was nearly six o'clock, Elliot still couldn't believe they'd been there a brief moment. It felt like they'd been here hours. Steven smiled and leaned forward in his seating.

"I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm not going to be here a lot," Steven explained with a hint of hesitation, "I'm still young you know? I'm going to be at Saint John's a lot...partying you know the usual. I'll be here more on weeknights, not a lot on weekends." Elliot was nodding in understanding before the kid even finished, remembering how he had been with his wife when they were in their early twenties, wanting to go out drinking every night, but then realizing he had a little girl to take care of.

"If you guys like have any problems, my number's on the fridge and there are two guns stashed under the bed in a little box. I'll show you the safe room in a sec okay? Just finish you drinks," They both nodded and sipped into their glasses gratefully.

"Your room is on the second floor. It's the master one and it's quite nice if I do say so myself," Steven said with a smile, "you guys have a private deck, a beautiful bathroom, and a fairly large closet."

"Damn, a private deck?," Olivia asked, her eyes widening and a smile forming on her lips. Steven nodded, loving the look of pleased shock on both of their faces. He'd been informed that morning where he was going to be stationed and was rather excited to be paid to watch over two fully trained detectives. In fact, he was certain his job would be minimal, if that. They were grownups, they could take care of themselves, but it was protocol to have a guard stationed there. Now, Steven wasn't so sure he would be doing nothing. For some odd reason, seeing the two of them light of with cheer made his heart swell with pride. He knew what they had gone through; the whole blowout that had happened with Ricardo and the little girl. Steven never considered himself especially sensitive, but seeing as he could imagine what it would be like; holding the life of a child in your hands, feeling responsible for their death. He found himself heartbroken and guilty. He vowed to himself that he would make their time spent here worthwhile with the happiness they deserved.

* * *

Olivia let the hot water from the shower flow smoothly over her body as she scrubbed her scalp with the lavender scented shampoo that made her nostrils burn. Although the water was scalding hot, it felt good as it soothed the sore, stressed muscles in her body. Goosebumps sprouted up all over her body as she ran her hands over her breasts, spreading some of the silky shampoo over herself.

Usually she thought in the shower, about important things like work and god knows her failing relationships with boyfriends. Today was different though. Olivia found her mind wandering to Elliot and Steven, the way both of them were so incredibly kind. After they had finished their drinks, they had gone up to the third floor where Steven's bedroom was. His room was ten times better than hers back home, and was quite positive that it was 20 times better than Elliot's. He showed them how to open the steel door by punching in each of the numbers, how it had a wireless phone inside for them to call the police, and how it was stashed with dried food that could last them years. It was quite crazy and unpredictable that such a place could be so prepared, but then again it was witness protection. They had whisked Alex off without a single word and had her transferred within hours of recovery, so her surprise faded quickly. After he had given them a full breath-taking tour of the whole house, including the backyard and own private beach, both with pristine, shining waters, Olivia headed off to wash the stress off of her. And there she was now.

"Liv," She heard a light knock on the door and Elliot's voice calling, "are you okay? You've been in there a while." Olivia smiled sheepishly to herself at Elliot's concern for her and forced herself not to sound like a giddy teenager when she responded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Not wanting to have the image of her letting the water run over her body, which she was sure was in Elliot's mind, she continued the conversation, "What are we having for dinner?" She purposely didn't ask, 'What do you want for dinner?' out of fear that he would expect her to make him something which she couldn't, throwing out the vow she had made earlier to learn. If she could she honestly would, but she was about as talented in the kitchen as she was with clown makeup. And she hated clowns with a passion.

Elliot paused outside the door for a moment pondering what he wanted. He figured to tired to go over to Saint Johns, so he guessed he could whip them something simple up. God, he would _not_ ask Olivia to make him something. After a rather bad experience with her eggplant parmigiana a few years back, Elliot promised himself never to go near her contraptions she made in the kitchen ever again.

"I could make up something if you want, Liv," He offered sounding as neutral as he could, except he couldn't help the thought in the back of his mind that was screaming excitedly about actually cooking for the woman he was in love with. It would've been incredibly romantic had she known for his never-dying love for her.

"That would be fantastic, El," She responded with gratefulness present in her voice. Elliot smiled and headed back downstairs to start figuring out what the hell he was going to make.


	5. Chapter 5: Closure

**Many of you may be wondering why I deleted the last chapter...well long story short, I actually planned this story out quite well and lost the document that had all my plans on there. I recently just found it again under some other file name...(don't ask me how I operate computers) and my original plans were slightly different. Don't worry though it's going to be a really good story ;-) Review, follow, favorite if you want. Thanks to everyone that already has and I love you all!**

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**Chapter 5: Closure**

November 1

It was roughly a half an hour later when Olivia emerged in a loose fitting tanktop and gray sweatpants. It was evident that she felt uncomfortable, vulnerable at her laid back outfit that she never usually wore in front of anyone. Elliot didn't know why she wouldn't because it complimented her body the way every other outfit did, catching every curve of her waist and every inch of long, toned leg. It surprised him that she actually decided to wear it in front of him considering it was only their first night at this strange new place together. Maybe in a few days it would have been believable, but not this soon. Elliot opened his mouth to comment, but quickly refocused his attention on the little browning shrimp cooking in the pan on the stove in front of him, along with miscellaneous vegetables.

"What?," Olivia asked with confusion, taking a seat at the small, wooden table nestled in the corner while giving him a quizzical look. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and shook his head, muttering something that she couldn't quite understand. "El, what? It looked like you wanted to say something?" She held back a giggle at the reddish tinge slowly creeping up his neck.

"You, uhm, look nice...that's all," Elliot mumbled, clearly very uncomfortable. Olivia couldn't hide the satisfied smirk as she thought of what it would be like for her to be complimented by Elliot a few years ago. She knew that she would probably be feeling the same way she did right now, giddy and excited.

"Thanks." For a moment, Elliot thought he sensed lust, maybe even pleasure in her voice, but after all what woman didn't like to be complimented, even Olivia. He knew normally she would have shrugged it off, pretended that she didn't give a shit what other people thought of her, but he had known her for over 15 years and saw right through the act. He took pride in knowing she trusted him enough to expose herself like that.

"How have you been, Liv?," Elliot's voice came out throaty and sounded strained which was definitely not what he wanted to sound like right then and there. He most certainly didn't want her to get the impression that he was uncomfortable staying in the same house as her because he wasn't, not at all. In fact, had it not been for the fucking shooting, Elliot would have gladly flown them both out here and announced his undying love for the most beautiful, brave, loyal woman in the whole world. It wasn't exactly an option now since neither one of them could leave had Olivia not had the same feelings for him, which would be a fairly high chance.

"What do you mean?," Olivia asked, confused. They had been working back together for a while now, he had had plenty of time to interrogate her about her current life since he had left her in the dust. In an instant a sudden flash of anger towards him pulsed through her veins and she fought back the urge to yell at him for being so nonchalant about the whole thing. It wasn't as if this were the first time he had talked to her one on one. There were other times in the precinct, working late, where Elliot could have brought it up, but no, he just had to wait until she was cornered and couldn't run away. What a sick, sadist, mother fucking bastard.

"I mean I know I've had the chance to talk to you about me leaving and stuff, but I never did. And I'm sorry for that," Elliot explained, scooping the finished shrimp and vegetables off of the pan and onto two shiny, new plates.

"Oh well it's a little late for that now," Olivia snipped, regretting her snark immediately. She was angry, yes, not necessarily at him, but for the whole situation and herself. A child had died because of them. They were being hunted down by thousands of angry sex traders. Now, they were in hiding with a 50/50 chance they would spend the rest of their lives at Dolphin Reef. "Look, I know that we haven't gotten the chance to talk about it, but there really isn't much to tell. When you left I-I," she hesitated, still reluctant of spilling her intermost feelings to him. He slid into the seat next to her, pushing the plate of shrimp in front of her as a peace offering. "I was lost without you, Elliot. I had no one. I trusted you and you just left me. You never returned any of my calls. It was like you never wanted to see me again."

Elliot's hand instinctively reached out towards her, brushing along her neck. "Liv, I never meant to leave you. Honestly, I thought about you every single day. I regretted it so much, you have no idea."

"Then why didn't you come back?" Elliot felt awful shame and guilt as he looked into the confused, vulnerable, brown eyes of his partner, the one who had always trusted him, who never, not once, turned her back on him. Although she had accepted him back as her partner with a fair fight, she still did it and that was something Elliot doubted he could do. Had their positions been reversed he would have screamed at her, demanded an explanation, maybe even told her exactly how he felt about her, but Olivia's confrontation was much more calm. She didn't portray anger, she portrayed the hurt that was buried inside of her for two years.

"I was afraid," Elliot admitted softly, closing his eyes and shaking his head at his stupid choice. "I was afraid that you weren't going to take me back. I thought you would hate me."

"I do hate you." Olivia smiled and gently smoothed a hand over his upper arm, feeling the muscles quiver at her sudden caressing touch. As angry as she was, she knew he wasn't lying. Elliot was as exposed and vulnerable as she was as unhappy as he would be to admit it. He had been hurt by his choices too and had gone through a divorce after all. She forgave him in that moment, because he was sorry for what he did and Olivia doubted she would ever get over those lonely, frightening years, she had all the time in the world now.

"Real cute, Liv," Elliot's eyes opened and he feigned an angry glare at her. "Look I can tell you're not hungry." He ushered to the still full plate in front of her, as was his. "We can have it tomorrow for lunch or something." With that, Elliot stood and began wrapping up.

Feeling bad that she wasn't helping, Olivia made her way over to the pan, turned on the sink, and began cleaning it. A moment later, she felt Elliot press himself against her, her hands reached out towards the sink handles and twisting them off.

"Let me take care of that." His hot breath tickled her ear and she was tempted to turn around, demand to know why the hell he could think he could just tease her like that, knowing fully well that they couldn't do that, not here, not when they were living in the same house together. God, but just the thought of him having sex with her made her more turned on than she had ever been.

"I'm tired," She mumbled, slipping away from his warm, sexy body. "I'll sleep in the guest room," She jerked her thumb over to the corner of the room where a small door was located for guests. Elliot chuckled and shook his head.

"I'll sleep in the guest room, love. You sleep in your bedroom." He gave her one last wink before turning back to scrubbing the pan and placing all the materials away. Olivia wanted desperately to argue, to insist that she was capable of making her own choices, but something about the way he took control, his dominance was incredibly sexy and powerful. It basically melted all of her active, logical brain cells that might interpret his signals as bossy and obnoxious. Even with limited brain cells, Olivia would certainly know that Elliot was bossy and obnoxious, but it was his way of taking care of her.

* * *

Olivia pulled back the covers to her bed, feeling the light breeze from the open doors that led to the deck tickle the bare skin of her shoulders resulting in goosebumps, though the breeze might not have been entirely the cause of them. She only had one thought right now and that was Elliot, and she knew that as long as he was still downstairs sleeping peacefully she would not be able to stop thinking about him, no matter how hard she tried. There was only one solution and that was to drive herself so into oblivion that she would be able to get him off her mind until tomorrow morning, which seemed like eternity.

Her hand gently slipped under the soft fabric of her sweatpants, feeling the moisture soaking through her underwear that had been there since she had felt his whisper on her ear. It was when she pressed down against her sensitive center, imagining it was Elliot's touch instead, that she started writhing. Olivia was so incredibly desperate for some sort of release from all of this stress and anger and hurt and horniness that she was completely oblivious to the all too loud moan that escaped her lips, muttering his name over and over again.


	6. Chapter 6: Morning Swim

**A/N: Enjoy! I'll update my other stories soon! Review please so I know if this was a hit or a miss ;) thanks for all the other reviews!**

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**C****hapter 6: Morning Swim**

November 2

Olivia woke up relatively early, her normal tendencies to get up and out before 6 o'clock still intact. Her eyes adjusted immediately to the dim light from the sun reflected off of the glistening water, lapping lazily against the shore.

Sitting up in bed, Olivia realized just how truly breathtaking the wholescene was. It was outin front of her like a huge watercolored canvas. The splashes of light delicately wove through the vibrant greens of the palm trees on the shore. She had never seen a sight so beautiful in her whole life. Olivia had been on vacations before, of course, but she had never been to a place so expensive, rich, and inhumanly natural. She now understood why people paid millions of dollars for a house here.

It took all of Olivia's might to pull herself out of bed with an exhausted moan. She had slept like a baby, something that she hadn't done since she wasvery young. The unexpected relaxation made her body even more tired than it would've been had she only gotten a few winks. It scared her to think that she would soon be getting used to it.

Her mind then flashed back to the present, knowing that there wasn't anything she could do about it. This was her life now and she had to live with it. For a moment, she wondered what she was going to spend time doing, even today. God damn, she hadn't even been there for a full day and she was already bored, confused, and at a dead end for what people even did here.

Her dark eyes wandered to the sight before her, completely exposed for only her to see. The beautiful waves begging for her to swim in them and the sunshine she longed to soak in made it nearly impossible for her to not to have the sudden urge to swim for hours. She had a suspicion though that when Amanda had hurriedly packed her suitcase, she had figured that Olivia didn't own a swimsuit, which in fact she didn't. Well, she could go with a bra and underwear. Now that she was up and about, she might as well throw what contents of clothes she had into the closet.

When Steven had showed them the house, he had only showed them the master bathroom, something she considered to be modern in the sense that everything was white, polished, and the top materials. Olivia's closet was located directly next to the large, square sink, through a simple white door. She figured it would be a normal sized closet, like the one she had had back in New York, with a few plain, metal racks to put her pajamas and shoes on.

But when Olivia swung open the door, her duffle in hand, it was anything but normal sized. It didn't surprise her like everything out of the rest of the house, it was simple, but exquisite at the same time. It had to be at least the full size of the bedroom she had had when she was a child, maybe bigger. Although her mother was always drunk off of her ass, she still somehow was able to afford a decent place for the both of them to live in. It was different from her old bedroom in many ways though,. It was painted a pretty creme color with light hardwood floors, much like the ones downstairs. Much to her liking, it was also fully stocked with clothes, all in her size. Most of it, she probably would never normally wear. It was mostly beach wear and long, skinny dresses. At least she now had a large amount of bathing suits to pick through to find the perfect one to impress Elliot as teenage-like and cliche as it sounded.

The duffle bag lay forgotten in the corner as she fingered through the soft material of the bathing suits. There were no one pieces, which Olivia would prefer, even though she sometimes considered them to be old fashioned and modest and she was neither one. Still, she would rather Elliot not see her so exposed their first full day there. She always considered herself to have a rather skinny, fit body, working out when she wasn't catching up on sleep or working a case for days on end. So, instead of picking out the rather skimpy black one that probably wouldn't cover all of her breasts, she decided on the strapless white one that would surely catch the attention of a certain someone.

After she brushed her teeth, Olivia made her way out back, peeking into Elliot's room to see that he was nestled under the covers, sound asleep. It made her smile to see him like that, something she couldn't really explain to herself.

The air was hot and humid when she went outside, even in such early hours of the morning. There was a long sand pathway that wove around the huge, pristine pool and hot tub. It was surrounded by lush, green grass and tall palm trees that had most of the backyard shaded. She followed the long, winding path down to the beach until eventually it blended in with the soft sand extending all around the perimeter of the island. The white sand was burning hot against her feet, but it felt good to have a difference from the grimy streets of New York where when you stepped in something this hot and pleasurable, it wouldn't be a good sign.

Already, she could feel the sun soaking into her skin, making her a few shades tanner than she already was. Olivia contemplated tanning a bit in the sun before she went swimming, but sweat was already dripping down her neck and the last thing she wanted was to experience heat stroke. So, in a flash she kicked off her sandals and headed towards the glistening, turquoise water.

She was reluctant even to dip her toes in, expecting it to be like the icy ocean waters surrounding the city, butto her relief it was warm and inviting, almost like a silky, salty bath. Olivia wasn't hesitant at all as she waded out farther into the water, not the slightest bit scared of sharks or anything of the sort. She had a nagging and somewhat amusing hunch that Elliot might be. Sure, he could bust up the perps all he wanted with his sexy, bulky muscles, but he might not stand a chance against a shark.

Soon enough, Olivia had dunked her whole head under water and was now absorbed in warmth and experiencing that special floating sensation in water that she couldn't remember the last time she felt. The sun beat down on her hair and she took this as an invitation to dig her feet into the sand at the bottom of the ocean. It was cool and felt good. This whole thing was like being in a completely different world.

"Hey!" She heard a male voice from behind her and she didn't recognize it as Elliot's or Steven's. She whirled around in the water and saw a couple standing on the beach in expensive looking bathing suits and a happy, rich person expression.

"Hi!," Olivia called out as she swam to shore, not sure who they were, what they wanted, or why they were there on her property. As she got closer she saw that the two of them were about her age, 45. The woman was literally the picture perfect expectation of what a rich house wife would look like. She had obnoxiously colored wavy blonde hair down to her implanted breasts, bright blue eyes, and a rather slim, tall body. The man was the same way, the stereotypical business husband and father, she assumed. He was handsome and tan with a smirk she knew he had to use at all times when he was at work. He was probably the owner of some high class hotel chain or the inventor of fucking Nyquil. Whatever it was, he obviously got a lot of money for it.

"You must be Angela Kingston," the woman said in a bright, happy tone, extending a toned arm out to a sopping wet Olivia who took it gingerly, afraid she might startle her. "We're Mark and Ruth Montgomery. We live a little up shore, on the north end of the island."

"Oh yes," Olivia said, pretending she recognized their names. "I'm so sorry, Corbin and I didn't get to introduce ourselves yesterday. The flight from New York was exhausting."

"Of course that's completely understandable. Mark and I were just taking a walk here, when we saw you out there. It's been a while since there've been early birds like us here."

"I just couldn't resist. The ocean is so beautiful and warm. I would've moved here years ago if I knew what it was like," Olivia said, her act better than she expected it to be maybe because it was mostly the truth. Ruth snickered and nodded.

"Mark and I would have too, except it does get quite hard with our daughter and schoolwork," Ruth said.

"Oh you have a daughter?," Olivia asked. "How old is she?" Ruth smiled, giving off the obvious inclination that she was very proud of her daughter at any rate.

"Juliet is 7 years old. My lord, she's a gem. She looks just like my mother. Dark hair and dark eyes, so beautiful, although I did always prefer blondes. Sorry dear." She looked at Mark out of the corner of her eye and winked at Olivia who choked back a genuine laugh.

"Juliet. That's a beautiful name. Where does she go to school? Somewhere on Saint Johns'?" Olivia hardly suspected that Mark or Ruth would even consider sending her to a public school on Saint John's for one main reason. Most of the mainland business class people lived there and she doubted greatly that there were any private schools there, though she hadn't read through the education system in the islands so she couldn't be entirely sure.

"Yes, Saint Luke's is the only private catholic school in the entire Islands. Ruth and I are trying to change that, but you know these god damn people never listen to you. We're thinking that maybe half a mil will change their minds," Mark said rolling his eyes. Olivia was surprised there were enough students enrolled there to keep a private catholic school running. She doubted even with half a million dollars that they would have the funds, nor the students to open up another school, but she dared not bring that up. She was supposed to be a rich snob after all.

"I agree entirely. What do they think you're willing to send your children to a public school? It's pathetic and slightly worrisome," Olivia said with a convincing nod.

"Angela?" Elliot's voice rang out behind her and Olivia couldn't help but smirk at the dumbfounded expression he had plastered on his face as his eyes visibly raked over her body. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, which she suspected he had. She knew it had to be slightly embarrassing for him to be standing near to Mark who was dressed in a crisp, white shirt and was freshly shaven while El still had his 5 o'clock shadow.

"Corb, these are our neighbors, Mark and Ruth Montgomery," Olivia introduced them, trying to bite back the urge to laugh.

"Very nice to meet you both," Elliot said with a grin taking both of their hands with a smile that seemed to wash away their qualms of him being dressed like a sasquatch. Leave it to that charming Stabler smile to save the day. "Sorry about the outfit, I wasn't really expecting Angelhere to be out and swimming in the wee hours of the morning with our lovely neighbors."

"That's quite all right," Ruth said with a grin, not hiding her attempts to take in every hunk of muscle that were Elliot's arms. Olivia tried to resist the attempts to kiss him and brand him hers, but she knew that it would either scare him greatly or scare herself greatly. Whichever it was, she wasn't eager to experience it. She settled with sliding an arm around his waist and snuggling into his chest, liking the way he smelled fresh and crisp even when he just got up.

"How about this? Angel and I go back in, get cleaned up and head over to the beach on the North end of the island. How's that sound to you guys?," Elliot asked with a grin.

"Sounds good. It's right next to our house, so we'll bring the margarita mix," Mark said with a steady, sexy wink in Olivia's direction. Any other woman would have swooned. Any otherwoman wouldn't have Elliot Stabler in her arms though, so it wasn't a fair comparison.

* * *

"Angel, El? Really?" Olivia laughed as she rummaged through the refrigerator trying to find something decent to eat. There were drawers filled with fruits and vegetables and various types of unknown organic shit, but nothing that she wanted to put in her mouth. What she was craving at seven thirty in the morning was pizza and fries.

"Liv,come on you have to admit it's a good nickname," Elliot argued from the guest room as he searched for something to change into. "Besides it suits you."

"What is that supposed to mean?," she asked in an offended tone. Good god, the last thing Olivia Benson was was an angel. She was more of a bad ass devil since a large majority of her life revolved around kicking perps down to the ground and running around the city looking for more victims so SVU could throw him in jail as soon as possible. Still, she was quite offended Elliot called her that and she had a feeling he knew she would get pissed off. She wasn't some vulnerable, little housewife that did everything her husband told her to. No, she wasdefinitely not an angel and she was going to prove that to Elliot.

Slamming the refrigerator door, Olivia marched over to the guest room door which was slightly cracked. She pushed through it, not thinking that Elliot would be in the middle of getting dressed. How very wrong she was.

"Oh shit!" Elliot nearly fell over as he tried to hurriedly pull up his bathing suit bottoms over his dick. "God, Liv, haven't you heard of knocking?" She hadn't expected him to still be changing. All she planned on doing was marching in there, yell at him never to call her an angel again, and maybe get a little too close to him to emphasize she would really kick his ass next time if he wanted to joke about that. Now all she could do was stare at the place that had been so recently exposed.

"Sorry." But they both knew that she wasn't. Olivia still hadn't torn her eyes away from him, her eyes traveling upward and raking over the huge muscles that flexed when he saw that he had her attention in the bag.

"You asked me why Angel suited you," Elliot said taking a step closer to her with a cocky grin plastered on his face. Olivia couldn't speak so she settled with a nod, not entirely comfortable with the way her partner was advancing towards her. She knew he'd never hurt her, but she had no idea if she could resist tearing off his swim trunks and fucking him to oblivion.

"You're so delicate and beautiful," he was now pressed lightly against her, "and caring." Olivia felt her knees beginning to buckle out of the energy that was being drained from her only by listening to the way Elliot breathed so lightly against her ear. She did the only thing she could muster that might save her dignity.

"I am _not_ delicate." That only served in Elliot chuckling. God, she couldn't help it any more. She took several clumsy steps backward until she was pressed against the wall, her chest heaving visibly. Olivia felt her cheeks burning as she tried to hide the way he affected her with a cough.

"Really baby?," Elliot asked with raised eyebrows walking towards her once again. Jesus, he wasn't going to stop until he killed her. And she was so turned on at the moment she was fairly certain she would die. He crowded her personal space in seconds, his head bending down to whisper in her ear once again as his rough, calloused hands gently made their way to her waist.

"I have to agree with you. Maybe headstrong was a better word for it." The both of them chuckled for a moment, remembering the way Georgie had said it, trying not to offend Olivia's character as Angela. It hurt her more than it made her happy though, recalling something that she would never again be able to experience.

"Yeah," Olivia said, "headstrong is more like it." In an instant Elliot's lips began to travel slowly towards hers, his icy eyes not once leaving her own. She braced herself, ready for the sensation of his soft lips massaging hers, something she longed for from day one of their partnership.

"Am I interrupting something?," Steven's voice rang out through the tiny guest room. Elliot lept backwards nearly tripping over himself in the process and Olivia's arms instinctively flew up to cross over the bikini top. Standing in the doorway with a smirk, Steven stood eating a banana still in his flannel pajamas. If there hadn't been tattoos all over his arms, Olivia would have snickered at how much Steven reminded her of a child.

"No," Olivia muttered, brushing past Steven so she could go upstairs and find something to wear over her bathing suit. "I was just leaving."

For the first time in a while, Olivia felt like she was going completely insane. She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or if his advances had actually happened. Whichever it was, it also left her with a feeling other than panic that she was already losing her mind, happiness. She loved Elliot from the start, always knowing that someday they would end up together and whether or not it would be now, she didn't know. Whatever happened, she knew, their stay at Dolphin Reef would definitely be more interesting than either one of them initially thought.


	7. Chapter 7: No Hesitation

**A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Life has been really hectic and I have a severe case of writer's block. Now that school's coming up, I might not be able to get in as much writing time, but for you guys I'll try my hardest. To make up for it this chapter has some cute fluffies ;) No smut yet, but I promise you it's coming really soon! **

**ElandLiv-InaHeartBeat- Thank you so much for your reviews on my stories! They made me extremely happy :D **

**Thank you so much for everyone else's comments as well, you have no idea how much they make my day! You guys are the best!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: No Hesitation **

November 2

The golf cart ride to the northern end of the island peaceful with a comfortable silence shared with the pair. The oversized leaves whipped against Olivia's long, tan legs and Elliot couldn't help but struggle to keep his eyes on the road, especially with the way Olivia's bikini top made her skin stand out, clearly visible through a coverup she didn't even need. She was even more sharply beautiful with the way the early morning sun splayed across her face and chest. The best thing about it, though, was that Olivia didn't even seem to notice the affect she had on him.

Of course, Elliot wanted nothing more than to comment of how gorgeous she looked, something he wanted to do for a long time, but he wasn't able to form the words in his mouth. It was something that more or less stunned him. Never before had he ever been so dumbstruck by a woman that he couldn't even complement her on it.

When they finally arrived at the beach Elliot was more or less dying to dive into the crystal clear water he could already see. The heat had risen since that morning and now that the 8 o'clock sun was beating down on them, they could only wait until the water enveloped them.

As they walked onto the beach, their shoulders bumped together, their hands dangerously close to touching. The question flew out of Elliot's mouth before he could stop himself.

"Should we hold hands?" He wanted to more than anything. To feel Olivia's warm hand in his was only something he imagined would happen to him on his luckiest day. He knew he could if he absolutely wanted to; he had power over her, something neither one of them dared to admit. And the power she had over him was just as strong, just as taunting.

Elliot only received a snicker from Olivia.

And then her delicate fingers were laced through his. Elliot thought he was going to die right there, but he just kept on walking. Of course, it would only be Olivia that would notice how incredibly nervous he was.

"You doing okay there Corb?" He turned his head to face hers and could tell she was biting back a huge smile. Elliot grinned and leaned in to kiss her forehead. The moment his lips met the smooth skin he became the happiest man in the world. As if holding hands wasn't enough, he actually had the balls to kiss her.

Elliot wanted to jump for joy. He felt even better about himself when he pulled away and saw a shy smirk playing at Olivia's lips.

"What are you smiling about?," he murmured in what he hoped to be a sexy voice.

"Hmm, nothing," Olivia said leaning in towards him. "Let's say we go for a swim Mr. Kingston," she whispered in his ear. "It's awfully hot out here." Right. Olivia had no idea what heat felt like, not like he did. Her voice in his ear was enough to make his body go up ten degrees.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea." More like a great idea. He needed some water on him to splash him out of the fantasy he was beginning to have of him making love to Olivia over and over again. Although, somewhere in the back of his cluttered and confused mind he had the nagging feeling she wanted it just as much or maybe that was just his ego talking.

"Come on then, slowpoke." Olivia pulled him forward through the white sand until they got to the water's edge. God, the woman never ceased to amaze him. He would swear on his life that she could boss around a 300 pound wrestler and they'd be completely submissive to her..because she was so self assured and sexy you just couldn't deny her.

Elliot pulled his teeshirt over his head and threw it behind him, not caring if it got wet or not. Olivia took her skimpy coverup off too, tossing it aside and standing before him in her white bikini, her hair curling around her shoulders from that morning's swim.

Without thinking he took his turn at yanking her hand out into the warm, crystal water as she giggled. If only this could have happened sooner, under other circumstances of course. If only he had left his wife the minute he had seen Olivia for the first time, if only he had never left her after the shooting.

Elliot had made so many mistakes involving Olivia and he vowed to himself as they submerged themselves under water, that it would never happen again.

Olivia surfaced grinning wiping the water out of her beautiful eyes. That's when the realization hit him, he had to make a move now. There was no more time to procrastinate or wait for her to make a move. She deserved better than that, having to urge him into this. Hell he wasn't even sure if she wanted him. There was only one way to find out.

"Hey, Liv?"

"Hmm," She hummed tilting her head back to expose her chest and neck to the sun, a content still on her face.

For a moment, Elliot froze, fear pulsing through his veins. Christ, if he told her now and she didn't actually feel that way, then they were screwed for the rest of their lives.

But looking at her, satisfied and comfortable, Elliot knew that he couldn't spend the rest of his life without kissing her, touching her, making Olivia his.

The alpha male part of him, came up again, a new confidence arising.

"I have to tell you something really important," He said in a low tone, moving closer to her as he curled his toes into the sand, hoping that might stop him from grabbing her and smashing his lips on hers. Elliot knew he couldn't do that, not yet at least. He wanted their first kiss, if there was one, to be soft and slow and sensual, something he had to say never quite happened with him and Kathy.

Elliot hardly noticed that Olivia's eyes snapped open and immediately looked concerned. She must've recognized his serious tone and realized it was no joke.

"I lo-"

"Hey guys!," Ruth's voice called out to them. Both of their heads turned over to look at Ruth with cheery, fake smiles plastered on their mouths. Elliot had the urge to just swim the hell away and never look back. The only thing that stopped him was that he felt like it was his responsibility to take care of Olivia, no matter how much she would deny it.

"Time to kiss some ass," Olivia muttered as she swam to shore, Elliot following closely behind her.

* * *

It was around eight at night when finally the Montgomerys thought it was time to go inside and spend time with their daughter. Elliot couldn't help but notice the way the rolled their eyes at the mention of their own daughter.

Olivia and Elliot bid their goodbyes, assuring them that they would be over another day for more Margaritas. The day had been long and for the most part unproductive. Olivia had gotten the most beautiful tan, her hair had even lightened up a bit. Elliot on the other hand burnt to a crisp even with SPF 50 sunscreen. She had teased him the whole day much to Elliot's distaste, though he couldn't blame her for it. He knew he looked ridiculous.

Mark and Ruth on the other hand had not interest in Elliot's skin tone. They constantly yapped on and on about the other neighbors. He knew from what they had said there was a young, eager couple Jane and Scott, an older couple with grandchildren that came to visit all the time, he forgot their names, and a nice, gay couple, Jett and Steve. They just loved gossiping about the latest parties Jane and Scott threw and how annoying the older couple's grandchildren were.

Long gone were the thoughts of telling Olivia that he loved her. Right now all he could think about was climbing into bed with a beer to rid himself of the horrible headache these people caused him. It wasn't that the Montgomerys weren't nice because they were. They were just so different- too different from him and Olivia.

Sighing heavily, Elliot hopped into the golf cart, pleased to see Olivia sleepily climb in next to him.

"Someone's tired," Elliot remarked with a grin as he pulled out of the beach and began to zoom back down the overgrown path leading back to their house. He decided he didn't need headlights since the bright light of the full moon was doing good enough lighting the road.

"I'm surprised you're not, lobster man." Olivia giggled and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her attempt to find a comfortable position to curl up in, alas she couldn't. The gold cart wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing ever.

"Liv, lay on my shoulder," He murmured, expecting her to at least argue back that she was fine. But the next minute her head was nuzzled into his shoulder, her lips dangerously close to his neck and her chest and legs pressed against him. Elliot hadn't been expecting that or he never would have asked. Not because he didn't love the way her half naked body felt so close to him, but because he was getting a growing erection that she would probably notice at any second.

He tried to think of weird things, old ladies, dogs, pandas, but all he could focus on was the feel of her breath against his neck. Elliot wanted to cry out of the injustice of it all.

_Okay only five minutes away now,_ Elliot thought. _You can jack off when you get home. _His foot was pressed all the way down on the gas and he knew that he was probably going way faster than the recommended speed, but at this point he didn't care. Elliot needed some relief, something to end the sexual frustration he was feeling.

Finally what seemed like 20 minutes later instead of five they got back to the house. He nearly jumped out of the golf cart with the keys, startling a half-asleep Olivia.

"Jesus, Elliot," she mumbled sleepily.

"Have to pee!," he called over his shoulder, immediately feeling bad for lying to her. One day he would explain his urgency to her, but he had a feeling that by then both of them would have forgotten about it by then.

Elliot unlocked the door hurriedly and ran up the stairs two at a time. He locked himself in the bathroom and turned on the shower to the coldest setting, not wasting any time in pulling off his tee shirt and swim trunks and hopping in. His erection was beyond uncomfortable at this point as he began stroking himself, letting his head loll back against the shower wall. The cool spray soothed his red, irritated skin and somewhat cooled down the fire that had started inside of him at the feeling of Olivia so close to him.

It took him only a few minutes to come, groaning her name and shuddering in pleasure.

Elliot had to tell her. He just had to. He didn't know he was going to handle living with her if he didn't. He sighed and let the water sprinkle over his sated body, washing away any qualms he had of telling her.

When he got downstairs, Olivia was seated at the kitchen table drinking a glass of wine and flipping through some house magazine. Her face lit up when he sat down next to her.

"That was quite a pee, Stabler," she said with a smirk. He wanted to smile right along with her and admit to what he was doing, to tell her she was the reason for it, but he didn't.

"Liv, I seriously need to talk to you." Her face became serious like it had in the water hours earlier. All signs of lightheartedness gone.

"El, what? You're scaring me." Elliot took her hand in his, squeezing it, assuring her nothing was wrong.

"I need to tell you something, but you have to promise me you won't be mad." He had a feeling that was the wrong thing to say, since she pulled her hand away and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why would I be mad?" Elliot's tongue became tied wanting to say a hundred things to her, but he saw her growing impatient. He took a deep breath. He was nervous, his heart was pounding, his hands were shaking.

But he had to do this.

"Olivia, I'm in love you with." There was only complete and utter silence. His eyes remained locked on hers, seeing the confusion and surprise. He wasn't sure if it was just him, but he could swear he saw happiness there too. Deciding she wasn't going to be saying anything else, Elliot continued to speak.

"I loved you from the moment I met you, Olivia. I don't think you know what you do to me. You're like a drug, I can't get enough of you. I never planned on telling you, but now that we're here together, I know that you can't run away, you have to face me and tell me exactly what you feel." Elliot could see her chest visibly heaving with every breath she took. Her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated and wait…was that a smile playing at her lips.

"El," she breathed, "you have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that." He couldn't believe his ears. He was hallucinating or something, but _this_ couldn't be real. Elliot was expecting to have to convince her to give him a chance, but no. Here she was looking deeply into his eyes with pure love radiating in her deep orbs.

"Liv," he choked out, "are you serious?" She didn't hesitate a second in nodding. Then before he knew it she was moving closer to him, her lips so close to his it was unreal.

"Are you sure, Elliot? I'm not looking for you to bail out on me again." His heart broke a little then, knowing how much he had hurt her when he left and fuck if that wasn't the biggest mistake of his life. Elliot knew he had time to gather her up in his arms later, to promise her that he was never going anywhere ever again.

"I'm positive," He simply said before closing the space between them. Elliot's dick instantly became hard again and he silently cursed himself for lack of self-control. Her lips were soft and gentle as they massaged against his.

Elliot realized that they were at an awkward angle, both leaning forward, only their lips in contact. He did the only thing he could think of doing. He reached out and put both hands on the curve of her hips guiding her off the chair and onto his lap.

Olivia was now straddling him, her center pressed down against his growing manhood as his arms wrapped around her waist. He growled against her lips and involuntarily thrust up against her, hearing her moan. Elliot knew they were going way too fast. He was definitely not going to make love to her tonight, though he wanted to more than anything.

Elliot knew neither of them were ready for that. They had just been thrown into a world so unfamiliar and different of course they were going to be making irrational decisions, though this was hardly irrational to him. He had no way of knowing if she meant what she said or if she was trying to forget about what happened not even a week ago. Of course, he trusted her, but he knew she deserved better than to have him make love to her not even ten minutes after he'd admitted what he felt for her.

He didn't want her to have any qualms in making her choice. He needed to prove that to her.

"Uh, Liv," he groaned breathlessly, pulling away from her lips. Dammit, he already craved them again.

"Yeah?," she purred in a seductive voice that caused him to trust up against her again. Controlling himself shouldn't be this hard.

"I- We can't. Not tonight." It nearly killed him saying those words. A saddened look crossed over Olivia's face.

"Why?" Her voice was soft and he knew she was already regretting kissing him. She thought he was backing out on her.

"Liv, I promise I'm staying, but I want to make sure you want this." He brushed a stray hair out of her eye, cupping her cheek to kiss her softly on the lips.

"It's pretty damn evident I want you," she groaned when they broke apart. Elliot chuckled and nuzzled into her neck.

"I don't want you to regret anything." Olivia sighed, seeming to give up. He mentally patted himself on the back because this had to be the first argument he'd actually won with Olivia. "Let's get you to bed."

He scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her effortlessly to bed upstairs, kissing her gently on the cheek before turning to leave.

"Wait, El," she muttered, climbing out of bed and disappearing in the bathroom for a moment before reemerging in shorts and a teeshirt, her bathing suit gone. Olivia shimmied over in bed and pulled back the covers, wordlessly inviting him to stay with her. He didn't hesitate in peeling off his shirt and climbing in with her, pulling her as close to him as he could.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair.

"I love you too," she murmured back nuzzling more into his chest before they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! SMUT in the next part! Please review! :D **


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